In my professional opinion, and only going by the photos at hand, I would say the gun has been refinished.

Note:
1) The slightly "plum" color to the slide in some of the photos.
2) The rounded edges on the seam around the striker block when looking at the gun from the rear.
3) The slightly obliterated s/n on the slide, most noticeable in the last digit. ("5")

I'd say that the gun has been hit with a buffing wheel at some point in its life.

(Also, rule #1 when bidding up a collectible gun: If your spider sense tingles at all, your spider sense is probably right. There will always be another gun.)

I'm grateful for your help, Tamara. Another nail in the coffin (given your experience and knowledge, I'd say a 12-penny at least ).

HKuser said:

Quote:

Ditto, absence of wear in the right places (there's always some) says reblue. Also, rear of the trigger looks like some covered pitting.

The left side of the trigger did look a little funny to me.

Ain't looking good, folks. I have to say I won't be bidding on this one.

You know, considering the published production figures for the Beretta 1919, it seems strange to me that they aren't more common. Perhaps I'm not looking in the right places . Additionally, nearly all of the few that do surface seem very well worn - which doesn't put me off if the wear is even and some measure of eye appeal is preserved, but many are downright dinged and scratched.

Hope a reasonably nice one comes my way.

Thanks to everybody for your help! (And if anyone else wishes to contribute, please do so).